couple questions bout oir bottle calf

[redtailgal]

Sounds to me like its a simple case of too much milk too fast.

Cut her milk back, give her some time to clear up and then EASE her up if she needs it.

Doubling her milk all at once like that, well, thats almost a guarantee for an upset tummy and the squirts.

 

[dragonmorgan]

Yea i was afraid of that. I was just worried about her not havin enuff food to keep herself warm. All that was before i found these forums tho and ive learned so much. Its awsome to know i can ask questions and get advice and its all so helpful. DH is impressed by how much ive really taken an interest in the cows and how much ive learned from here. We are only gonna give her one bottle tonight and then tomorrow we are gonna put the feed out for her. Im checkin around tryin to find some good hay for her too so i should have that for her this week.

 

[dragonmorgan]

Ok i did some lookin around and im not sure if the numbers would be different than what we woulda got (since out feed store makes its own feed) but it said calf starter should have around 18% protein and this bull starter we got has a minimum of 10%. Can we still use it or should we use it only until we can get some actual calf starter?

 

[redtailgal]

It wont hurt the calf, but it wont help much either.

Go ahead and sue it for now, but get the calf started as soon as you can.

I dont want to step on your toes here, but if I were you I'd switch that baby over to a bucket right away. If you pour the milk into a bucket, then float the nipple on top or even better get him/her sucking on your finger and lower his face into the milk, he should catch on quickly.

I say to get him on a bucket quickly because this will encourage the calf to take to grain a little easier. He will get used to putting his head down for feed other than grass, and get him used to recognizing a bucket as a food source, thus making him more interested in the grain.

just offer one handful of grain at first, when he does well with that offer two handfuls. Dont be afraid to PUT some grain in his mouth to show him that it is food.

Please, please, make sure that there is hay available to him.

Sorry, I just read back, it seems he is actually a she, but I am far too lazy to correct my post!

 

[dragonmorgan]

lol its ok. I didnt even catch the "he"s until you said something. We have some hay in with the big cows that imma give her until I get some better quality hay. Ill get some actual starter feed for her too. Im hopin she likes this we got. Id eat it if I was a cow lol. Shes pretty used to watchin other cows eat out of buckets and was even penned with a calf who ate from a trough before we moved her here. Hopefully that will make it easier. If not weve got a spare bucket so we shall see. Ill keep yall posted.

 

[WildRoseBeef]

Ill do some comparing when i get home. Id like to say iys not bvd because she came from a herd of cows who are better maintained yhan ours are. Also shes not weak and she has a great appetite. No runny nose and doesnt feel feverish (altho ive never tested her actual rectal temp). She looks healthy and eats good. Aside from the diarrhea and non-playfulness she seems pretty normal. Is there anything else that might could tell me if it is something like bvd or cocci?

I know for sure that scours is caused by all sorts of types of bacteria, from E. coli to Streptococcus and Salmonella. You never mentioned what her breathing was like, as calves her age are prone to getting respiratory disease (like pneumonia) which can cause her to be lethargic like she is. Is her nose dry, does she have laboured breathing, coughing, snotty nose, anything like that?

 

[dragonmorgan]

Her breathing sounds fine. I dont think her nose is dry or snotty but she licks it and picks it so its hard to tell. Its what makes it so confusing that nothin seems to really be wrong. Shes doesnt seem to be gettin any worse or any better.

 

[redtailgal]

Ill do some comparing when i get home. Id like to say iys not bvd because she came from a herd of cows who are better maintained yhan ours are. Also shes not weak and she has a great appetite. No runny nose and doesnt feel feverish (altho ive never tested her actual rectal temp). She looks healthy and eats good. Aside from the diarrhea and non-playfulness she seems pretty normal. Is there anything else that might could tell me if it is something like bvd or cocci?

I know for sure that scours is caused by all sorts of types of bacteria, from E. coli to Streptococcus and Salmonella. You never mentioned what her breathing was like, as calves her age are prone to getting respiratory disease (like pneumonia) which can cause her to be lethargic like she is. Is her nose dry, does she have laboured breathing, coughing, snotty nose, anything like that?

Did I miss a post somewhere? I cant find anything about this calf being lethargic, all I see are posts saying that she is acting fine, being a little difficult to catch even. No problems other than the squirts.

I just reread the thread and still dont see it. Am I missing a post?

 

[dragonmorgan]

I said a little about it in the original post. She just seema lay around alot. I never see her out there buckin and springin or runnin around like alot of calves do. Shes got energy to stay away from me she just doesnt seem to be like other calves ive watched. Maybe its because shes the only calf in the pen or something, im not sure. I just want to make sure nothing is wrong. Do all cows bounce around or are some more laid back? Most of my experience watchin calves is when we feed the herd and they always seem to b so playful. Most of the time our little calf is just layin down. Could she be bored?

 

[dragonmorgan]

Ok so a morning update. I only gave her one bottle this morn and then filled a bucket half full with the feed. She was a lil spooked by the red bucket but i offered her some in my hand. While she was eatin it i lead her down to the bucket. That was all it took. She went right to work on that feed. I think its safe to say she likes it lol